Summer Pizza Parties

It's summertime, and for our house, that means summer pizza parties! Summer pizza toppings are my absolute fave, and far exceed every other season! Peaches! Figs! Nectarines! Tomatoes! Summer offers everything this California girl could want. We are immensely lucky to have a pizza oven in our backyard (it was here when we moved in - how awesome is that?!), but if you don't have a pizza oven, it's 100% delicious to use a cast-iron skillet and a piping hot 500F oven.

Below, my secrets to an excellent pizza party:

1. Have enough dough on hand! I'm not covering all the different types of dough you can make in this post, but if you follow a Mario Batali or Nancy Silverton recipe for dough - you can't go wrong. Depending on the size of the party, I either make my own, or buy from a trusted local Italian deli or market. (Lucca's if you're in San Francisco). The most important thing for the party? Have enough! Opt for at least 1 8" pizza per person, with a couple of extras. More is better - you can always freeze it or use it in a creative way later on in the week!

2. The toppings! You need less than you think. My first pizza parties ended up with a plethora of extra toppings and produce, but a little extra is never too much of an issue - make a giant salad the next day! For example, if I'm using peaches on four pizzas - I really only need 2 large peaches! I'll give examples for a six person pizza party below.

3. Have pizza plans in mind, even if you're having a "make your own" party. I find people are always way happier with the outcome if I've made a predetermined pizza for them. At this point, I usually insist on making all of the pizzas. Then, we end up with delicious, well-thought-through concoctions, rather than a slap happy mess. If you want a "make your own" style party, choose three or four types of pizza you want to make, and cluster those toppings together in your spread.

4. Cornmeal. Instead of flour on the bottom, opt for a thin scattered layer of cornmeal. You get more slide and less stick.

5. A layer of olive oil. Always spoon or brush a little olive oil onto the entire dough before topping.

6. Don't oversauce or overtop! A thin layer of sauce. A thin layer of cheese. Just a few toppings. It's always less than you think. Of course, this depends on the thickness of the crust, and a thicker crust can handle a few more toppings. Don't forget to leave a rim for the crust.

The Recipe

1. Roll out dough to desired thickness. Make sure to place pizza dough on top of cornmeal on the pizza stone, cast-iron skillet, or pizza peel before topping. If it's a cast-iron skillet or pizza stone, make sure you've placed it in a 500F oven for 10 minutes beforehand.